Stiffkey

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Stiffkey (which can also be pronounced 'Stewkey', although this pronunciation is becoming obsolete) is a village and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A149 coast road, some 6 km east of Wells-next-the-Sea, 6 km west of Blakeney, and 40 km north-west of the city of Norwich.^[1]

The civil parish has an area of 14.55 km² and in the 2001 census had a population of 223 in 105 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North Norfolk.^[2]

The village is remembered as the parish whose rector, Harold Davidson, was more interested in ministering to fallen women in London than in his normal clerical duties. It is also famous for cockles Cerastoderma edule which still retain the old name of "Stewkey blues". These are stained blue by the mud in which they live.

The River Stiffkey runs through the village and used to power the Stiffkey watermill which was built before 1579. It was a small mill, running two pairs of stones, and it operated until 1881 when it was put up for auction as a warehouse. Little now remains of the mill: just a few low ruined walls showing the position of the building.^[3]

The Norfolk Coastal Path runs between the village and the sea.

[edit] References

^ Ordnance Survey (2002). OS Explorer Map 251 - Norfolk Coast Central. ISBN 0-319-21887-2.
^ Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes. Retrieved December 2, 2005.
^ Jonathan Neville (2006). Stiffkey Mill. Norfolk Mills. Retrieved on April 15, 2006.